Blackwell Reference Online

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This chapter focuses on a major work of Kant's that has until recently been neglected, The Metaphysics of Morals, and more specifically on Part II of that work, “The Doctrine of Virtue.” The Metaphysics of Morals was first translated in its entirety into English in 1964, and still receives less attention than it deserves. Habits of teaching one classic rather than another die hard, so it is a safe bet that The Metaphysics of Morals is still not making a frequent appearance in Classics in Ethics courses, let alone in general introductory ethics courses. Lack of attention to this work is a pity not only because it is a major work of Kant's and is the culmination of his ethical writings, but also (and relatedly) because most of the widespread myths about Kant's ethics – e.g., that it concerns actions, not character or how to live; that it is all about applying a rule to generate a clear decision about how we should act; that it is rigid, leaving no room for hard cases; that it is not sensitive to the particulars of situations and to the nuanced character of moral life; that it does not take into account any feature of persons other than their rationality; that the Categorical Imperative not only is not based on anything empirical (true), but is supposed to be applied in such a way as to ignore empirical facts (false) – lose whatever semblance of plausibility they might otherwise have ... log in or subscribe to read full text